


Blame the Tequila: Chapter Five

by gemini_cole



Series: Blame the Tequila [5]
Category: British Actor RPF, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2014-11-01
Packaged: 2018-02-23 13:46:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2549759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemini_cole/pseuds/gemini_cole





	Blame the Tequila: Chapter Five

Blame the Tequila: Chapter Five

 

            Frankie punched her pillow and tugged at the blankets. It was 7 am, and by all rights, she should still be asleep. Of course, that would mean that she had gotten sleep to begin with. Every time she closed her eyes, yesterday’s events chased over and over as if on a reel inside her head. The humiliation of being sick in public, Tandy’s crass announcement, and worst of all: the look of horror on Tom’s face. He’d left so abruptly after that, Frankie wondered if she had imagined his proclamation that they would discuss the matter in the morning.

            A pounding at her door interrupted her contemplations. Frankie’s heart slammed against her ribcage as she grabbed her cell phone, checking the time again. Who the hell would come over at the break of dawn? Tossing back the bed sheets, Frankie grabbed a hair tie and pulled her unruly hair into a messy topknot as she ran for the door. Just as she was about to open it, the sound of a key in the lock stopped her in her tracks. Yanking the door open, she found Tandy, wide-eyed and gasping for air.

            “What did you do, run here? Why are you knocking down my door at 7am? Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Frankie stood aside to let Tandy in, and locked the door behind her.

            Tandy strode past her into the living room. “That would imply I’ve been asleep to begin with. Fashion week, remember? I had places to be. Anyway, it’s urgent, and it’s about you. Have you seen this?” She pulled her Ipad out of her bag and tapped a few spots on the screen. She arched an eyebrow as she handed it to Frankie and said, “you may want to sit down for this.”

            When Frankie began reading, she did indeed need to sit down. Tandy had pulled up the digital copy of  “ _The Daily Mirror_ ” and there, in bolded font, read the following:

 

_Daddy Hiddleston:_

_Baby Mama Drama, Behind the Scenes at Fashion Week!_

_According to multiple sources, actor Tom Hiddleston is set to become a first time Papa! Word came down that Hiddleston came face-to-face with a former paramour who announced her pregnancy in the most shocking of ways, by vomiting all over his gorgeous Tom Ford suit! Hiddleston’s publicist Luke Windsor himself confirmed the news with the following statement, “I can confirm that Mr. Hiddleston and his ex-girlfriend are indeed expecting a child together. While they are no longer together romantically, they are committed to creating a loving co-parenting relationship for their child. Mr. Hiddleston would like to express his appreciation to his fans for their continued affection, and ask for privacy for himself and the mother of his child at this precious moment in time. Thank you.”_

            Frankie cautiously set the Ipad down on the coffee table. “I never threw up on him. They really need to check their sources.”

            Tandy slid over on the couch and wrapped her arms around Frankie. “ Honey, are you ok? You look peaked, how can I help?”

            “I just..I can’t believe he did that! And without asking or talking to me about it first? Oh, god, I think I’m going to be sick again.” With that, Frankie ran to the bathroom. Tandy winced as she heard Frankie begin throwing up. That had to be one of the worst sounds in the world. Walking to the bathroom, she kneeled down and began rubbing Frankie’s back, trying to soothe her as she dry-heaved over and over. After several moments, Frankie looked at her and blearily asked, “How long do you think this part of things will last? I hate throwing up.”

            “Take a shower, hopefully you’ll feel human again. What time is Tom coming over?”

            “He’s coming over? Wait, what? How do you know that?’”

            “I ran into him at a party last night, he asked me where you lived. I just assumed he’d talked to you first.”

            “Nope. Well, that’s just lovely.”

            “He was bound to find out eventually, wasn’t he? Now, go get in the shower. I’ll answer the door if he shows up while you’re still in there.”

            “You’re staying?”

            Tandy smiled wickedly at Frankie. As she stood up and headed out the bathroom door she giggled, replying, “Are you kidding? I’m not missing this showdown for the world!”

            After a long hot shower, and getting dressed, Frankie did feel a bit better, if still exhausted. She wandered out to the kitchen to find Tandy sipping coffee and reading her Ipad. Slumping into a chair, Frankie put her hand on her fist and leaned towards Tandy, inhaling deeply.

            “God I miss coffee so much already. I wonder what else I can’t have. I know there’s lists out there, I just haven’t thought to look yet.”

            “This is decaf. I brought it over especially for you. Go grab a cup. And here,” she said, fishing something out of her bag. “I brought you this too.” She tossed a copy of _What to Expect When You’re Expecting_ on the table.

            “Really? You are the best sometimes, you know that?”

            Tandy arched her eyebrow. “Sometimes?”

            “Well, I could have done without the public announcement yesterday.”

            “If I hadn’t told him, you never would have. Tell me I’m wrong about that one.”

            Frankie shrugged noncommittally as she fixed her coffee. “I hadn’t decided yet.”

            “You don’t think he deserves to know?”

            “I’m just-“

            Before she could finish there was a knock at the door. Frankie and Tandy shared a look before Frankie set down her coffee mug. As she walked to the door, she pivoted, turning back to Tandy to plead, “try to stay out of this one, ok, Tand?”

            “No promises.”

            Frankie opened the door to find not only Tom, but also another man standing in front of her. Trying her best to be civil despite her lack of caffeine and lack of sleep, she smiled as she ushered them towards the living room. She watched as Tom stood awkwardly, surveying her living room and Luke sat, stiff and formal in her favorite chair. Both men looked enormously out of place. She decided to skip pleasantries about the weather and get down to business.

            “So who’s your friend, Tom?”

            Tom turned, and clapped a hand on the man’s shoulder, causing him to lurch forward in his chair. “This is my publicist, Luke Windsor. “Gesturing to Frankie, he continued, “Luke this is Frankie…uh, what was your last name again, darling?”

            “Vandeveer.”

            Luke nodded, replying, “Miss Vandeveer, it’s a pleasure.”

            Frankie rolled her eyes. “Really, a pleasure? Yeah, right. More like the pain in the ass you just got saddled with. Nice press release, by the way. Ex-girlfriend?” Shooting Tom a look, “you couldn’t have given me the head’s up on that?”

            “Would you have rather I said drunken one-night stand? That’s what publicists do. They occasionally have to “massage” the truth to fit our needs.”

            Tom sat down on the couch, making himself at home as Luke sighed, “My apologies, Miss Vandeveer, but due to the nature of the manner in which word was getting out-“

            “You’re welcome!” Tandy shouted from the kitchen.

            “Shut up, Tandy! You’ve done enough!” Tom yelled back.

            Frankie glared down at Tom, retorting, “Don’t yell at Tandy, that’s my job!”

            Luke sighed heavily. “Let’s all take a deep breath, shall we? Yelling isn’t going to accomplish anything, and we have a lot to discuss.”

            Frankie regarded Luke levelly, “By we, you mean Tom and I right? Or do you make _all_ his decisions for him?”

            Tom interjected. “Luke is here because I need him to be. We have a lot to discuss, and like it or not, Luke needs to be in the know, because he makes the statements, and he knows my schedule and my life, inside and out. Now, Luke, if you’ll join Tandy in the kitchen, Frankie and I have to sort things out and come to some arrangements. When we figure that out, you’ll be brought back in, ok?”

            Luke nodded shortly, heading for the kitchen. As he did, Frankie looked sideways at Tom. “You know they can probably hear every word we say, right?”

            Tom sighed and shrugged. “I know, but it’s easier this way. So let’s get to it, shall we? What do you want?”

            Frankie regarded him curiously. “What do you mean, what do I want?”

            “Money?”

            Tandy exploded from the kitchen, “YOU FUCKER!”

            Frankie shouted back, “STAY OUT OF THIS TANDY!” She shot out of her seat and began pacing. “Really? Money? You think that’s what I’m all about? Wow, fuck you, Hiddleston. If money was what I wanted, why was I actively avoiding you? I would have just come right out and asked. Besides, I have no problem raising this baby on my own. I’m not rich, but neither was my mama, and we managed _just fine_!” She turned and stalked to the living room window. Tom watched her take several deep breaths to compose herself.

            After several beats of silence, Tom replied. “I apologize. I guess I’m just taken aback by this, probably as much as you are. Let’s start over, shall we? Please?”

            Frankie turned. Tom patted the couch next to him, as she gave him a small nod and walked over, joining him. “October 15th.”

            “Pardon?”

            “I’m not 100 percent positive until my doctor’s appointment in a couple of weeks, but from what I can tell, my due date is October 15th.”

            Tom smiled fondly. “A little Halloween baby, huh? Babies in costumes are adorable. Well, all babies are adorable.”

            Frankie rolled her eyes. “That is such a cop-out. Some babies aren’t, you know. It takes a while. Or they get cute when they get older. I was an ugly baby.”

            Tom smiled at her. “I doubt that very much.”

            Frankie smiled back. “Really, I was.  It was the 80’s, I was bald and chubby, my mom dressed me in a lot of overalls, I looked like the baby version of an old man farmer.”

            Tom chuckled at the image Frankie painted. “So no overalls then, for our baby?”

            “Probably not.”

            “So how are you feeling besides yesterday? Any cravings yet?”

            “Besides missing coffee terribly? No, no cravings. And the morning sickness just started yesterday. Besides that, just exhausted.”

            “Give me your cellphone.”

            Frankie gaped at him. “Um, why?”

            “Because I realized last night that I don’t have your phone number. So that means you couldn’t have mine. We need to have those, don’t you think?” He gently pried the phone out of Frankie’s hand and began typing his information into it. She watched as he repeated it his own cellphone immediately afterwards.

            “So what does your girlfriend think of all this?”

            Tom’s head shot up as he looked confusedly at Frankie. “My girlfriend?”

            “You know, the one you were with yesterday, and at the chemist’s shop that day. Blondie, She had blue eyes, petite, very cute. What does she have to say about all of this? Were you with her when we…you know?”

            Tom smiled and squeezed her knee. “Darling, that was my sister, Emma. I would have introduced you that day at the chemist, but you ran out in such a hurry. Broke your own rule, that.”

            “My rule?”

            “That morning, when you left, remember? We were going to be decent and friendly to each other if we ever ran into each other out and about?”

            Frankie shifted uncomfortably, and mumbled ashamedly, “Yeah, well, I had pregnancy tests in my basket. That was the day I found out. I was freaking out, and I saw you with who I thought was your girlfriend, and I felt like a home wrecker. I had to get out of there.”

            “I see. Well, now you know. No girlfriend, no home to wreck. I want you to know, Frankie, I plan on being here for you, for the baby. Those weren’t just words in Luke’s statement. This may not be the way I envisioned myself starting a family, but this is my child too, and I want to be involved. In everything.”

            Tom’s words sank into her brain like a stone sinking to the bottom of a pond. _We’ll see about that,_ Frankie thought darkly to herself. Didn’t all guys say that in the beginning? She managed a half-smile at Tom as she replied, “Lets just take it day by day, ok? For now, we have each other’s contact information, and we have a due date. Beyond that, there’s another seven and a half months to figure out the rest.”

           

 

 

           

           

           

           

 


End file.
